Supporting a wheely good cause
Trike-a-thon goes virtual to raise money for CHKD
VIRGINIA BEACH — When Henry Capron climbs onto his Disney “Cars” tricycle this month and dons his matching helmet for a spin around the block, he will be doing it for more than just exercise.
Henry, 4, will be helping to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, where his younger brother, George, is receiving care. "We have experienced how much CHKD provides,” said their mom, Tracy. “We know how important it is.”
Henry attends Parish Day School on Laskin Road, where an annual trike-a-thon is held to benefit the Norfolk hospital. It’s usually a one-day event on school grounds. Teachers set up a track with flags and cones, and the preschoolers whiz around on their tricycles, bicycles or scooters while raising money through pledges.
Parish Day has collected more than $12,000 for CHKD over the past seven years, but with the school closed during the coronavirus pandemic, the staff had to get creative to keep the trike-a-thon rolling.
They’ve turned it into a virtual event through the month of April. While families pedal safely and at a distance through their neighborhoods, friends can contribute through CHKD’s online fundraising page. Parents are sharing photos and videos on the school’s Facebook page. “Even though we’re physically distancing, we still want kids to get outside in their yards and get some fresh air,” said Kate Ryan, CHKD philanthropy offi-cer Master Police Officer Pete Mantoni, who attends the school’s trike events each year, put together a cycling safety video for the children since he couldn’t do a presentation in person. He reminds them to always wear shoes and a helmet, among other tips. The school has set a goal to raise close to $3,000 this year. “There’s nothing more exciting than kids giving back to kids,” Ryan said. The children are riding in memory of a former student who died in a Christmas Eve fire and in honor of
George Capron, who has spent most of his 18 months of life at CHKD.
George has congenital heart defects, lung disease and has had several brain surgeries, his mother said. He’s on a ventilator and is dependent on a feeding tube.
Tracy and her husband, Christian, take turns visiting him.
“Every day George is fighting, and there are people here fighting for him,” Tracy Capron said this week by phone while sitting in her son’s hospital room. “We definitely have a special place in our heart for CHKD.”
Cole Pfeiffer is a student at Parish Day and has been riding his bike around their cul-de-sac in Great Neck. He’s getting so good at it that his mom, Michelle, may take his training wheels off soon.
“There were so many things that our kids have had to forgo, not only attendance but extracurricular activities, too,” she said. “It’s great that they were able to keep the trike-athon alive because its something the students look forward to every year.”